1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to vehicles, systems, and methods for mobile delivery of energy, and, particularly, vehicles, systems, and methods for mobile fueling of compressed natural gas.
2. Background Art
For many reasons, natural gas is rapidly becoming a popular alternative energy source. Natural gas requires little processing and its low-carbon content allows it to burn with less greenhouse gas emissions. Natural gas also has limited flammability, while gasoline and diesel can catch fire at lower temperatures and lower concentration than natural gas. Although natural gas may be compressed at high pressures for storage and distribution, these pressures meet strict governmental and industry safety standards. Moreover, given the vast quantities of untapped gas fields, natural gas represents an affordable and sustainable source of energy.
Despite these advantages, however, potential end users face significant barriers to entry for using natural gas as a convenient and affordable energy source. Although the number of fixed natural gas stations are increasing, the time and difficulty associated with accessing fuel at these stations can make natural gas use prohibitive. End users—such as, for example, private trucks and fleets, and less-than-load (LTL) carriers—can often face long refueling waits at fixed natural gas stations because of the presence of numerous other customers at popular refueling times or the slow filling rates of depleted storage tanks at the station, for example. Further, these stations are often located at inconvenient locations from the end user, requiring significant time and dollar expenditure for access. Moreover, known mobile delivery systems for other types of fuels do not have the storage and compression requirements needed for a convenient and efficient natural gas fueling system. Without affordable and efficient access to natural gas, end users may be unwilling to make necessary infrastructure investment to convert devices, vehicles, fleets, and businesses to natural gas. As a result, potential economic and environmental advantages remain unrealized. Therefore, what is needed is a natural gas fueling technology and method that allows affordable and efficient access to this source of energy.